The invention relates to lens barrels, and in particular, to lens barrels with a shutter unit which is held in a moveable manner.
In a camera, a control circuit transmits signals via a flexible printed circuit board to drive a shutter unit disposed in the lens barrel. When the shutter unit is moved along an optical axis of the lens barrel, the sufficient length of the flexible printed circuit board is capable of holding the shutter unit without generating loose.
When the shutter unit rotates around the central axis of the lens barrel, the flexible printed circuit board may break or interfere with other members in the lens barrel. Accordingly, in Japan Pub. No. 2003-140022, the shutter unit is a non-rotary member such that it can move simply along the optical axis.
Nevertheless, to obtain a thinner, miniaturized lens barrel, the flexible printed circuit board and the shutter unit must rotate together. That is, if the shutter unit can only move in the lens barrel, it may be difficult to miniaturize and thin the lens barrel.